About Solarize Connecticut

Ask Me About My Solar

Reducing My Electric Bill

It is a Great System!

“My solar was installed late last year, so this will be my first full year of usage, and I am already enjoying savings on my CL&P bill. I am only paying the $16 minimum. It is a great system that works even on those overcast days! Yes, I still earn credit then! I love it.”

– Sharon Knock, Brookfield

A Gift from Mother Nature

“According to the Stamford University Global Climate and Energy Project, “The amount of solar energy reaching the surface of the planet is so vast that in one year it is about twice as much energy as will ever be obtained from all of the Earth’s non-renewable resources of coal, oil, natural gas, and mined uranium combined”.

This is energy that we don’t have to pay for. It is a gift from Mother Nature! My wife and I have a home that we heat using electricity, and we are happy to let Mother Nature help us with the bill. We installed an 11.5 KWH system that generates electricity valued at about $205 / month. This is a very conservative estimate – averaged over the first year based on current electric rates. This means that our investment in solar panels will be paid for by the savings in electricity in a little over five years, and from then on it will be a gift from Mother Nature! The solar panels don’t have any moving parts to break; they just sit there and soak up the sun, saving us money! I wish I could put them everywhere! In the year and a half since we installed the system, based on the standard estimates supplied by our monitoring software, we have saved about 11 trees, and almost 10 barrels of oil! The only way I could be happier is if I saw solar panels everywhere I looked – and this is why I am happy to be a “solar ambassador”!

The back of our house had the southern exposure – but we had lots of angles to contend with. This would have impacted the total power we could generate, so we went with a solar garden instead of the traditional roof based approach. Here are a few pictures of our Solar Garden:

– Walter Hewitt and Sherri Burdette, Montville

See What Your Neighbors are Saying about Solarize!

Martin Strasmore of Weston discusses why he is very happy with his solar lease.

– Martin Strassmore, Weston

We Went Solar and Love It!

“We went solar and love it. I can monitor my production via the Sungevity website to see how much power it is producing and how much I am saving. As a technology-lover, I think it’s very cool; my wife says I am addicted. We have made 212 kw so far!”

– Eric Mayerson, Brookfield

I Believe in Conservation

“I am green and believe in conservation. Plus, six months of the year I have no electric bills! It’s nice to be off the grid.”

– Al Kaimer, Brookfield

Reducing Emissions and Saving Money

“The solar leasing program was a really fantastic way of reducing our carbon emissions while saving on our electric bill. During the spring and fall our bill drops to just a few dollars a month and we make money on it each year. As the cost of electricity increases, we save even more since our lease payments stay the same. It would have cost us $50,000 to buy the system without the incentives and the lease, but thanks to both these factors, we’ll end up paying $20,000. For a self-employed person like myself, this is perfect!”

-Martin Strasmore, Weston Solar Home Owner

“We went solar because it was the right thing to do for the planet. Plus I pay less than $400 a year for our family’s electric bill.”

-Sarah Schletchter, Weston Solar Home Owner

Impressed with our Installer

“Our solar panels are not scheduled to arrive until later in the month, but we have already been impressed with how the solar company has taken care of all the paperwork. Frankly, we would have had no idea how to handle town permits, state tax credits, and the CL&P power buyback arrangement, but the company has processed all of this with only minimal need for us to get involved.”

-JoAnne & Andy Mitchell, Bloomfield

See What Your Neighbors are Saying about Solar!

“I love to watch my electric meter run backwards.”

– Tim Gannon, Killingworth resident

“Especially in Connecticut, where the price of electricity is so high, solar just makes sense.”

– Sue and Bob Reynolds, Killingworth residents

Saving Real Money

“I couldn’t be more excited than to be a Solar Ambassador. I’ve enjoyed the benefits of my solar array for nearly 5 years and have not only saved real money every single month, but I’ve reduced my carbon footprint and have helped to reduce the stress on our grid. My solar panels are attractive, have no moving parts and work whenever the sun shines. I’m fortunate to have a perfect south-facing roof, so my panels really produce. I encourage everyone to “check it out”. Come to the launch event on May 7th or request a no-obligation site analysis from Bloomfield’s pre-selected installer, RGS Energy and take advantage of Solarize Bloomfield’s discount pricing and special financing opportunities.”

Marie MacDonald, Bloomfield

Being Green is a Good Thing

“Not having to put any money down and still saving money every year is great in itself but we went solar for our children. Having a clean environment for them to grow up in is very important to us. We need to lead by example and show them that being green is a good thing.”

-Rob & Lisa Vogth Eriksen, Hadam-Killingworth

Raising Awareness

“This PV array is on an out building, and was installed in May 2007. It is a 3.3KW, 16 panel system, which is undersized for the house load. However, we converted all our appliance loads to gas which has lowered our daily usage to 7KW in summer (non-air condition) and 12KW in winter.

“The system has performed flawlessly averaging a total yearly output of 3,100KW. This translates to a daily average output of 8.5kW /day. In fact, we consistently over generate from mid March to mid October, so in effect our house operates Electrically ‘Net-Positive’ for 7 months /year!

“The style of panel produces higher output on cloudy days but gives up some energy in direct sun. The peak daily output is 20kw with clear atmosphere. The array utilized a unique flashed roof boot for the support rails, so we avoided sealant at the roof penetrations.

“The excess generation is credited forward into the late fall until it is used up. Owning a Solar Panel system raises the awareness of electrical usage in a home and in fact encourages conservation by the home owner. Our own example of this is when our well pump required replacement we gladly paid extra for the most efficient pump on the market not just to conserve power, but to also increase our over generation and extend the credited power, what a great feeling!”

-Dale Bertoldi & Vikki Reski, Bloomfield

See What Your Neighbors are Saying about Solar!

“I am green and believe in conservation. Plus, six months of the year I have no electric bills! It’s nice to be off the grid.”

-Al Kaimer, Brookfield Solar Homeowner

“It’s important to our all futures that we make the switch to clean energy, and putting solar on my home is an easy way to help promote clean energy while saving money.”

-Steven Wurst, Brookfield Solar Homeowner

Reduced my electric bill 75%

“My experience with solar was seamless from the start. The process was completely handled by the solar people, from planning, to permits, to installation. The fact that I can save money, and I am helping to clean up the environment, and create less dependence on brown energy for my kids and their kids is a win/win !!! Since I started using green energy at night, and solar power by day, I have cut my electric bill by almost 75%!!!!”

-Pam Currier, Simsbury resident

Saving money

“Solar was one of the first improvements I made to my house in New Haven. Every month I made a utility payment was money I’d never see again. Rates went up again this past January… That’s even more money saved.”

Stephan Hartmann, New Haven

Stephan is with solar installer, Ross Solar, and lives in New Haven. Ross Solar recently hosted a solar open house for Solarize Cheshire.

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Solarize CT is a proven model for advancing residential solar. Over the past several years thousands of homeowners have installed solar through the Solarize CT program, helping make Connecticut a leader in solar power.